PISCATAWAY – The third time’s the charm.
After coming up short the last two years in the NJSIAA Group II state championship game by a combined five points, sixth-ranked Rumson-Fair Haven put the finishing touches on the greatest season in program history with a 26-24 victory over Shabazz (10-3) Wednesday night at Rutgers to win its first-ever overall state championship.
“I played in that Caldwell game my sophomore year, I played here last year against Westwood, and both were absolutely heartbreaking defeats,” said senior linebacker Austin Kiernan, who led the team this season with 124 tackles, “So, to be able to come back and get the win tonight is unbelievable; third times the charm.”
With just seven returning starters back from last season’s NJSIAA South Jersey Group II championship team, even the most optimistic of them couldn’t have predicted the historic ride this team went on.
“We were a young team coming into the season,” added Kiernan. “But we came in with a chip on our shoulders with something to prove. Obviously, losing twice at Rutgers hurt, so coming back here is a statement win and something I’ll never, ever forget about for the rest of my life.”
The Bulldogs (13-0) completed their first undefeated, untied season in school history. The last Rumson-Fair Haven team to finish undefeated was the 1959 team that went 7-0-2. They outscored their opponents 523 to 174 while averaging 40.2 points a game on offense and allowing just 13.4 points on defense. They steamrolled their way through the playoffs, outscoring its three opponents in their sectional title run 142 to 42, and beat No.15 Point Pleasant Boro 44-10 in the NJSIAA Group II semifinals before facing a Shabazz team that gave them a run for their money.
The Bulldogs won their third straight sectional title and ninth overall this season, tying Toms River North for the third most sectional titles in Shore Conference history. It was also the Bulldogs Shore Conference record 11th straight appearance in a sectional final.
Rumson came into the game riding the arm of star quarterback Owen O’Toole, who had a career-high 334 passing yards while completing 28-of-37 passes in their NJSIAA Group II semifinal win, but the Shabazz defensive schemes forced Rumson’s high-octane passing attack into a more run-oriented offense Wednesday night.
O’Toole entered the game needing just 15 yards to become only the second player in Shore Conference history to surpass 7,000 career passing yards. He finished with 7,099 career passing yards, second only to Middletown North’s Donald Glenn’s 7,561 yards. Earlier in the season, he became Rumson’s all-time passing leader, surpassing the previous mark of 5,635 set by Mike Roberto in the 2006 season.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound gunslinger completed just 11-of-22 passes for 114 yards with one rushing touchdown and one interception Wednesday night and threw just ten passes in the second half. Still, he did complete two of the most important passes of the game and possibly school history.
Trailing 16-13 with 1:59 left in the second quarter, Rumson was facing a fourth-and-five at their own 44-yard line. Head coach Jeremy Schulte sent out his punting team for what looked like an ordinary punting situation, but it turned out to be anything but. As quickly as the punting team took the field, they retreated, and the offense bolted back on and lined up. O’Toole then promptly threw a 17-yard strike to tight end Jack Gyimesi for a crucial first down at the 27-yard line. With Shabazz out of timeouts, the gimmick play worked to perfection.
“We’ve worked on the play every day for the last two weeks,” said Schulte. “We wanted to run it against Point Pleasant Boro last week but didn’t need it. The object is to have a team burn a timeout or catch them off guard. Shabazz was out of timeouts, so that’s part of the reason we called the play.”
Following a defensive holding call on first down, junior running back Kellen Murray broke free around right end for a 17-yard touchdown run and a 20-16 Bulldog lead, a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the night. Carson Memmott kicked the extra point.
“We executed the play perfectly,” Murray said of the game-changing play. “This win is huge. Those two losses they really haunt you. This team is different. This senior class is different; we’re not like any other team. We’re the best team in RFH history; no team has ever gone 13-0. This is the greatest team in RFH history.
“They’re a very good team and had some big plays,” Murray added. “But we took control. We didn’t get too high; we didn’t get too low. We wanted to finish. The last two years, we didn’t finish, so we finished this year.”
Murray was sensational on the night, putting the team on his back while rushing for 175 yards on 28 carries and three touchdowns, giving him 1,581 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns for the season. He carried the ball 16 times in the second half, with most of them going to the left side behind senior tackle Matt Smith.
“He’s outstanding,” O’Toole said of his running back, Murray. “He was playing with a cast on his hand; had to get immediate surgery two weeks ago, so he’s a dog through and through.
O’Toole’s second difference-making completion of the game came late in the third quarter with the score still 20-16 and the game still up for grabs. Facing a fourth-and-seven at the Shabazz 34-yard line, Shulte elected to go for it. O’Toole then found Memmott for a 22-yard completion and a first down at the 12-yard line. Nick Thomas gained nine yards on first down before Murray ran it in from three yards out to give the Bulldogs a 26-16 lead with 6:06 left in the third quarter after Memmott missed the extra-point kick.
“That’s a big man better; they were in man coverage all game,” said O’Toole. “We had that play in our back pocket, and it came out at the right time. We ran that play a couple of weeks ago for a touchdown, so I wasn’t surprised Carson was so open. The other two routes were dead, so he got the job done.”
“That was huge, that fourth-down play,” said Memmott. “When my number is called, I’ll make the play. It was right out of a wheel route. Owen threw it to me, and I made the play. We run that play all the time, and it’s usually open. I knew I would be open, so I just made the play.
“This win means so much. We got sent home twice from here, so finally getting the win is awesome. My dad was the first thing I thought of right as the whistle blew. I know he’s watching over, and I’m going to get emotional, but he’s the greatest guy I ever met.”
Memmott’s father, David, tragically passes away in September of 2022 at the beginning of Memmott’s sophomore season.
Shabazz took an early 8-0 lead with 4:41 left in the first quarter. Quarterback Romelo Tables found running back Jalen Cline free on a wheel route and he took it 73 yards down the left sidelines for the score. Daveion Porter then ran it in for the two-point conversion.
Rumson then drove to the Shabazz eight-yard line in 10 plays, but on third-and-goal at the eight, Stanford University commit Omari Gaines picked off O’Toole, ending the Bulldog’s threat.
The Bulldogs defense, led by junior linebacker Dylan Plesser’s 12 tackles, sophomore tackle Ben Gredell’s sack and three tackles for loss, and junior end Toby Najenson’s half sack and 2.5 TFL, then forced a three-and-out, giving the ball back to its offense as the first quarter ended.
Rumson then marched 51 yards in eight plays for their first score of the game with O’Toole taking it up the middle for a one-yard touchdown. O’Toole’s pass on a two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete and the score remained 8-6.
Shabazz quickly answered on their ensuing possession. Samir Wilkins returned the kickoff 41 yards to the 48-yard line, and they went 51 yards in eight plays to take a 16-6 lead. On third-and-12 from their own 46, Tables ran for 19 yards and first down at the Rumson 35-yard line. Tables then completed a 31-yard pass to tight end Talib McLean for the score, and Porter’s two-point conversion pass to Ian Adrien made it 16-6 with 5:34 left in the first half.
Shabazz would not score again in the game until 17 seconds remained in the fourth quarter.
“It was a tough game,” said Kierman. “Coming in we knew we had to contain the quarterback. After the first quarter, we were able to really lock in and take care of what we had to do. I really got to give it up to the coaches making the adjustments and letting us know where we had to be. We played with passion. It’s really about playing under your shoulder pads and locking in to make the play.”
Arthur Tambaro returned the ensuing kick 40 yards to the Shabazz 33-yard line, giving the Bulldogs excellent field position. O’Toole then found Thomas for 26 yards on first down, and on the next play, Murray ran it in from seven yards out to pull within 16-13 after Memmott’s extra point kick with 4:40 left in the first half.
The defense then forced another three-and-out and a punt, giving the ball back to Rumson with 2:41 left in the second quarter. The Bulldogs then pulled off the trick play to take a 20-16 lead at the half.
The two teams battled through a scoreless third quarter before the Bulldogs extended their lead to 26-16.
Shabazz then took over at their own 35, but on first down, Tables pass was intercepted by Rumson’s Beau Devine turning the ball back over to the Bulldogs with 5:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Rumson then went three-and-out and punted into the end zone for a Shabazz first down at their own 20-yard line with 3:19 remaining.
Shabazz then went 80 yards in 12 plays with Karriem Coston hitting McLean for seven-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left in the game. Porters pass to McDonald for the two-point conversion made it 26-24, but an onside kick attempt failed to go 10 yards and O’Toole took a knee to end the game.
